I've been to a few Civil War battlefields, but never Gettysburg.

My mother, on the other hand, visited the Pennsylvania historical site several times when she was young. Her favorite teacher got married and moved to Gettysburg. And my mother, who lived in southern New Jersey, went to see her a number of times.

On each occasion, they would tour the battlefield.

So yesterday I was asking her what she remembered about the scene of that pivotal battle which culminated on this date in 1863.

While my mother was mulling that, a woman who overheard our conversation volunteered an answer.

What really strikes you, the woman said, is how close to each other the opposing forces were.

I thought about that off and on for the rest of the day.

Have you ever been to the Gettysburg battlefield? What stuck in your memory?   

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